Page 23 of Finding Elodie
“They’re around here somewhere,” Ari said vaguely. “We managed to take out one of the pirates, but the others have been much more cautious since then,” he told her.
“Rachel took care of another a few minutes ago,” Midas said, and Elodie would swear she heard pride in his tone. But she didn’t want to think about what she’d done.
“So there’s what, two more left? Three?” Pablo asked.
“Something like that. Maybe only one,” Scott said.
“Is it true that they killed the captain?” Troy asked.
Elodie nodded. “And the rest of the officers who were on the bridge with him.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah.”
“I need to get Rachel upstairs,” Scott said, interrupting them.
“Right. Sorry,” Troy said.
“Don’t get complacent,” Midas ordered. “Even if there’s only one guy left, he’s going to be desperate. Stay tuned for the signal to turn the lights back on, then stay hidden. Soon, this place will be crawling with good guys and this’ll all be over.”
The three men nodded and disappeared into the shadows around them.
“I’ll go first,” Midas said.
“We’ll be right behind you,” Scott told his teammate.
Elodie watched as Midas got down on his knees and somehow squeezed himself through the hatch.
“Up you go,” Scott said.
She looked at him in surprise. “Me? I thought I’d be last.”
“Nope, I’ve got your six.”
“But who has yours?”
He smiled at her then, and she could’ve swore he leaned toward her a bit before he said, “I think you’ve proven that you do. Now, up you go, Midas is waiting.”
Not thinking too hard about his words, and how good they made her feel, Elodie shimmied into the small escape hatch and started upward. She smelled the fresh air before she got halfway up, and it made her climb faster. She heard Midas open the latch at the top and before she knew it, he was helping her up and out to stand on the open deck.
It was still dark outside, but the wind was blowing and the smell of the salty sea air had never been as welcoming as it was right that second. She hadn’t realized how stuffy it was down in the galley and engine room.
She heard something to her right and turned in alarm, only to relax when she saw four men coming toward them dressed the same as Midas and Scott.
“The bridge is secure.”
“There’re two dozen of our men onboard, with more coming.”
“Good to see you two.”
Elodie listened to the exchange with wide eyes. It seemed as if the Navy didn’t mess around. When they said they were sending help, they were really sending help.
“There’s at least one more tango below decks somewhere,” Midas informed the rest of the team.
“Heard she took care of one of them,” one of the newcomers said.
Feeling awkward and out of place, Elodie kept her mouth shut as she stared up at them.
